# Excerpts of Kerry M. Datz oral history interview conducted by Eliza Marcus, August 4, 2010

Kerry Datz was a self-employed carpenter and volunteer firefighter on 9/11. He was very anxious to go to Ground Zero to help. He waited for a call at his firehouse on Long Island until he was asked to go on 9/14. He went to Ground Zero for one day with other volunteer firefighters. They drove there on the Long Island Expressway, and it looked like a grey-orange cloud was blocking the sunlight. He went to a hospital and there were people on the street sorting supplies and making food. At one point they drove back to Long Island for more supplies and returned. He walked through a cemetery near Ground Zero and the tombstones were almost completely covered in ash. Late that evening they were at the temporary morgue. Kerry buries his emotions and does not talk about 9/11 much anymore. He thinks the WTC Programs are “fantastic,” but not really his style. He said his mental state since the event has gotten worse. He mentioned that not long after the event, he went to Disney World, and at the airport, the metal in his lungs set off the metal detector. Kerry emphasizes the importance of not forgetting peoples’ sacrifices.

- Kind: Interview
- Year: 2010
- Runtime: 13 min
- By: Marcus, Eliza
- Genres: History
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2015048_038_Vignette/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/afc2015048_038_Vignette?play=1)